Yeah, the Elephant toejam is pretty deep right now. The only hope I see for a reasonable settlement is the fact that there is more neutral coverage and a more neutral position in Washington than I've seen for quite some time, even today. And as you say, it's hard to see how Arafat can provide any positive leadership, but I'm not sure if the alternative would be any better. The streets have a mind of their own, and one that may not be receptive to moderation anymore.
The Sanctions, and recognition, that toad has carefully provided elsewhere, are what put Israel on the map. Not some thug,s.
If we allow terrorism to work. No one, in any country in the world, will ever be able to feel sacure again.
easymo, I give the Zionists far more credit for achieving their goals with their own trigger fingers. They had a long term plan -- spaced out over decades -- which they executed at numerous levels to achieve statehood. International help was a part of that, as was terrorism which did provide sufficient supporting incentives to the process. However, the Zionists did the lion's share on their own and could have been successful without the support, but only without significant opposition as well, IMO.
I agree there is no place for terrorism in the world. At the same time, I don't see a place for territorial ambition that substitutes a 500lb gp bomb for a bunch of dynamite strapped to someone's body. You can easily execute terrorism using a modern military and a good PR machine. I imagine the average Palestinian civilian is just as terrorized, likely more so, than any Israeli citizen. The goal in this conflict is land, and the Israelis have as much to gain or lose by the current turn of events as the palestinians, and a hawkish faction is acting accordingly. Again, go back to civil war times and the world doesn't care. Today, well, humanity has made some progress as a whole which at least supports the possibility of world peace at some distant time in the future.
Charon
